Fun Facts For National Mule Day | Pictures

We're All Ears For National Mule Day!

Not surprisingly, I've been a horse lover since my first pony ride at age 3, but while many little girls fall for the allure of elegant Arabian steeds or swift Thoroughbreds, my equine obsession has revolved around something a little less refined: the long-ear. I can horse around with just about any hoofed creature, but what warms my heart is a mule or donkey with a big personality and a little sass. So when I found out that today is National Mule Day, I couldn't help but round up a few photos of these saucy hybrids hamming it up for the camera. Care to learn a thing or two about these big-eared, big-hearted creatures? Just check out this slideshow.

Donkeys and horses have different numbers of chromosomes, and the combination of the two usually results in sterile offspring. No cases of fertile male mules exist, but there have been about 60 documented cases of female mules that have given birth to mule offspring since 1527.

Mules come in all shapes and sizes depending on the breeds of their donkey and horse parents. Don't be surprised to find miniature mules (under three feet tall) all the way up to 17-hand draft-sized mules!

Mules are often considered to be of a higher intelligence than either of their parental species, which is perhaps due to hybrid vigor. It's the same effect that suggests that mixed-breed dogs are often more intelligent and hardier than purebred dogs.

Mules are most often bay, black, chestnut, or gray but can be found in just about any solid color that you would see on a horse. They often have brown- or tan-colored areas around their eyes, on their muzzles, and sometimes on their bellies and lower legs. However, mules with dark points are not unheard of and were once called "blue-nosed."

While mules were originally bred as a draft and pack animal thanks to their incredible strength, the mule of today is bred for leisure and sport. Attend your local horse show, and you're apt to see mules participating in cutting, roping, jumping, and even dressage!